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Oliver Wood
Oliver is a hardened man. He once knew how to smile and laugh but these days he finds that his facial muscles just don't work properly for anything but scowling and the occasional grimace. He's a man without emotion. He can feel no happiness. No joy. His heart is encased in steel and remains untouchable. Unless, that is, you're covered in fur, scales or feather. People beware! Oliver melts into a squishy pile of thirteen-year-old girl in the face of creatures great and small. Just don't tell anyone, it would really ruin his rep, you know. __TOC__ Oliver Duncan Wood Name Explanation: Oliver: Norman French form of a Germanic name, possibly the name Alfihar meaning "elf army". The spelling was altered by association with Latin oliva "olive tree". In the medieval French epic 'La Chanson de Roland' Oliver is a friend of the hero Roland. This is also the name of the title character in Charles Dickens' 'Oliver Twist', which is about a poor orphan living on the streets of London. Another famous bearer was Oliver Cromwell, a British military commander of the 17th century who ruled the country after the civil war. Duncan: Anglicized form of the Gaelic name Donnchadh which means "brown warrior", derived from Gaelic donn "brown" and cath "warrior". This was the name of two kings of Scotland, including the one who was featured in Shakespeare's play 'Macbeth'. (Source: Behindthename.com) Nicknames/Aliases: None, actually. Unless you count 'That Quidditch-crazed maniac' but he doesn't take too well on that. Oh, and he loathes anything along the lines of 'Ollie' or 'Ollie-bear'. He insists that he's not a bloody stuffed animal. Age: 31 Date of Birth: December 18th 1976. House: Gryffindor – 1994. Known Affiliations: Gryffindor Keeper from 1989 – 1994. Quidditch Captain 1991-1994. Order of the Phoenix. Occupation: 1994-1995 – Reserve Keeper for Puddlemere United. 1995-1997 – Keeper for Puddlemere United. 1997-1999 – Fights in the Second War as a member of the Order of the Phoenix. 1999-2004 – Travels Europe in search of his missing sister. 2004-November 2006 – Bouncer for Circe's 2006-Present - Private Investigator at Barrington Investigations. After a rather tumultuous career first as a Professional Quidditch Player and then as a bouncer for Circe's, (an exclusive, though not entirely legal night-club where Oliver made most of his contacts which still come in handy) Oliver works as a private investigator these days, running his own little place he more or less inherited from its former owner, Jeff Barrington. It is due to Oliver's laziness (and his respect for Jeff) that he kept the old name Barrington Investigations, even though Jeff has vanished. Oliver has specialized on finding missing persons and usually doesn't bother with cases that don't interest him (i.e. matrimonial struggles, is my wife cheating on me? Etc.). However, he does need money to live, so there are times where Oliver needs to swallow his pride and take jobs he doesn't like. As it is, Oliver works for whoever pays well, taking a few charity cases every now and then but mostly he isn't too concerned with the law. Curiously enough, his job offers Oliver enough opportunities to satisfy his inner adrenaline-junkie as well as the strategist who needs to find answers, so Oliver likes his job fairly well. Of course, this is something he would never admit out loud – especially not on those long nights where he's stuck in a stake-out and bored out of his mind. Home: Oliver has come to live in the small, crooked flat right behind Barrington Investigations (which occupies all of one dimly-lit room that is filled with dying plants as Mr. Wood has never developed the ability to keep a flower or anything of that sort alive) in London. In an unexpected luxury Oliver's flat extends over two stories: downstairs where the office and a kitchen is located (as well as a backyard that practically never sees the light of day but nevertheless harbours a twisted, resilient tree) and upstairs where the bathroom and the bedroom are located. Oliver inherited the flat from Jeff Barrington and despite keeping up the pretence that the other man might return one day, the flat is turning more and more into Oliver's place and most memorabilia that remind of Jeff's existence slowly but surely vanish. Additionally, Oliver is going to inherit the Wood's family home in Scotland after the death of his parents. However, he refuses to return as he still blames himself for not finding and saving his sister, no matter how much his parents beg him to come home. He will only return to Scotland when he has found Moira. Until then Oliver insists on keeping up the pretence of 'staying with a friend' at the office. Finances: Could be better. A lot better, actually. Oliver foolishly spent the money from his Pro-Quidditch days in a wild chase to find the whereabouts of his missing sister and now he has to struggle to make ends meet. As soon as he gets some money, Oliver is sure to invest it in his quest once more so that it can safely be said that Oliver is anything but a financial genius. He gets by, but barely. Household: Oliver started out bunking on Jeff Barrington's couch which turned into a frequent occurrence. Currently, after Jeff's disappearance, Oliver shares the flat with the following illustrious personalities: Collins, the parrot: Oliver found the birds one night in the tree that refuses to die, took pity on him and took him in. In retrospect that might not have been one of his better ideas as Collins likes to talk. Unfortunately, the only words he can say are obscenities which the bird aims to bring in at every opportunity (preferably when Oliver's neighbour, an old lady with a nose for gossip, passes their door). Firebolt, the turtle: Oliver found him on the street one day and once again the big, tough Gryffindor found his heart melting in the face of the turtle. As Firebolt is the slowest thing in existence (and has a tendency to hide either in Oliver's shoes or the office), Oliver christened him 'Firebolt' in a weird attack of humour. Geromino, the dog: Geronimo is a mixture of unknown origins and commonly known as 'the ugliest dog known to mankind'. As it is, poor Geronimo is approximative the size of a small cat, with an almost bald body, a squished nose, protruding eyes and some tufts of hair sprouting from completely random places on his head. For some unfathomable reason Geronimo fancies himself a pittbull and acts accordingly. Duchesse, the cat: She is the snob in the Wood household. One day Oliver tumbled into the kitchen to find her regarding him regally from the top of his fridge, demanding her share of milk. As he didn't have milk Oliver opted to feed her butterbeer which she devoured greedily. These days Duchesses insists on her daily dose of butterbeer and shows her affection for Oliver by delivering dead mice, rats and birds which she likes to deposit next to his bed. Oliver is far from amused but also very helpless in the face of a determined cat. Bludger, the owl: A short-sighted owl with a slight identity-problem (hence the name). Oliver continues to pick up strays as both little children and animals manage to do what most people can't: they make Oliver's heart melt in a matter of seconds. Family Bloodline & Heritage: Half-Blood – Pureblood; Mother – Muggleborn witch. Scottish. Mother: Fiona McCaine. Muggle-Born. Hufflepuff Alumni. Happy housewife with a fondness for gossip and trashy romance novels; enjoys being a mother and grandmother but lately both her and Andrew are beginning to feel their age. Loud, cheerful, overprotective. Father: Andrew Wood. Pureblood. Hufflepuff Alumni. Former Quidditch player (Chaser for the Montrose Magpies); an injury put an end to his career which led to a self-imposed exile in the Scottish Highlands. Gruff exterior with a heart of gold. Has an opinion about everything and never hesitates to make that opinion known. Loudly. Sister: Moira Jones-Wood. Half-Blood. Squib. Oliver's beloved older sister (by four years) who lived most of her life in the Muggle world though she knew about the existence of wizards. Met and married Matthew Jones shortly after school. Has a daughter called Brenda. 'Disappeared' during the Second War. Brother-In-Law: Matthew Jones. Muggle. Worked for a software company near Nottingham. Married Moira. Father to Brenda. 'Disappeared' during the Second War. Niece: Brenda Jones. Half-Blood. As of yet it is unknown whether she's a witch or not. Daughter to Moira & Matthew. Eleven years old. Lost her parents to the Death Eaters which left her traumatized. Has come to live with Oliver's parents in the Scottish Highlands. Oliver's grandparents on both sides are deceased and he has no contact to Matthew Jones family. Relationships with each: Oliver is a family person. This is hardly the image he wants to project but it's the truth nevertheless. He adores his niece Brenda and spoils her to the best of his ability, followed his big sister like a lost little puppy (until she started doing weird stuff like playing with dolls. Oliver never got the appeal of that) begging for her attention and affection rather shamelessly. This would have gone on endlessly if it hadn't been for the fact that a large portion of Oliver's attention was grabbed by Quidditch and flying, which saved Moira from being smothered with affection. Likewise Oliver keeps showering his parents with affection and has a very good relationship with them. In fact, he isn't able to say 'no' to them (which explains the fact that his mother may still call him "Muffin"). In short, as soon as his family is concerned Oliver reverts to a teddy bear with a heart that melts at the most feeble pout little Brenda is capable of. Oliver goes to great lengths to keep this fact hidden from pretty much everyone but his friends, having witnessed it, know (and probably make fun about it). He truly regrets that he can't spend more time with his family. External Appearance: Oliver Wood is a typical, 6,1” tall, burly ex-Quidditch player with well-trained muscles and broad shoulders. However, years of practising sport have ensured that his movements are very fluent and controlled and he moves with more grace then one would expect from him. He has calloused hands and used to wear a bright, manic smile – especially when flying. Lately, however, he finds smiling harder and harder to do. Due to some of the fights he's been in Oliver has several scars (some deeper, some more superficial) all over his body – however, that's nothing strange in these times. Oliver has warm hazel-green eyes and short slightly gingery hair that's in a constant state of disarray. Hair: an indefinable colour between dark blond – brown – gingery. He really doesn't take the time to try and come up with a proper name for its colour. Short. Practical. Usually in a state of disarray as he's still flying as often as possible. Due to acute laziness Oliver only shaves when absolutely necessary which leaves him with anything from being clean shaven (seldom) to a wild beard (more often) to everything in between. He still doesn't care. Eyes: A muddy mixture between green and brown. To his extreme embarrassment Oliver lately requires reading glasses. Style of dress: Oliver is pretty much immune to style and prefers a comfortable mixture between Muggle clothing (he has this fondness for jeans) and classical Wizard wear (formerly of the Quidditch gear variety, lately he is known to prefer wide robes over his Muggle clothes – because they have so many pockets he can fill with all kinds of stuff (and later forget about it)!). First Impression: I don't want to meet you in a dark alley. Magic Boggart: Oliver suffers from claustrophobia. Consequentially his Boggart represents a dark room with no means of escape, no windows and no way to spread out his arms (which is the minimum of room Oliver needs before panicking). Patronus: A badger, representing aggressiveness, passion and drive. Animal Symbolism. Mirror of Erised: Oliver sees his whole family alive and well. Somewhere in the background his mum and Matthew argue about the proper way to make a good steak, his dad is talking to the as-of-yet unknown wife Oliver wants to have one day while Oliver himself teaches his niece how to play Quidditch, supprounded by his friends (especially his former Gryffindor Quidditch team) and their progeny. Amortentia Potion: The leather of his Keeper's gloves and protective gear. The smell of autumn in the Highlands, consisting (among other ingredients) of grass, sheep and the smell of Bruce's (the deceased family dog's) wet hair. Something spicy Oliver hasn't been able to identify as of yet but it reminds him of the Gryffindor common room. Wand: 12 ½ inches, Oak, robust/rigid, Dragon heartstring core. Oak Tree Symbolism: (the Brave) *Robust nature, courageous, strong, unrelenting, independent, sensible, does not like change, keeps its feet on the ground, person of action. (Source: Celtic Tree Symbolism) *The oak tree is the tree of Zeus, Jupiter, Hercules, The Dagda (The Chief of the Elder Irish gods), Thor and all other Thunder Gods. The royalty of the Oak needs no enlarging upon. The Oak is the tree of endurance and triumph, and like the Ash, is said to count the lightings' flash. The Oak is a male wood which is ideal for the construction of any tool that needs the male influence such as Athames, certain wands and staffs. The midsummer fire is always Oak and the need fire is always kindled in an Oak log. Internal Political Views: Oliver has stopped caring about that. He has done his duty during the war and now everything he cares about is finding his sister. He has lost faith in humanity and firmly maintains the point of view that if they manage to get themselves into a mess again he won't move a finger to help. However, due to the fact that's he's all but a squishy teddy bear underneath the rough exterior, Oliver knows that he'd be running back to the Order the moment he feels he is needed. Quirks/Habits: Oliver has the ability to find a Quidditch-related metaphor for everything and he abuses that ability. At length. Even now Oliver has the tendency to start rambling when he's getting nervous and for some unfathomable reason he can't hold his liquor and therefore tends to avoid alcohol (as the amount of embarrassment he suffered under its influence is really enough to have cured him for a life-time). He is very, very organized and almost everything he does has a routine to it. Oliver's paperwork is organized with differently coloured post-its, he uses his beloved colour-coded charts (that only he can make sense of), Oliver always has at least one back-up plan and Merlin help the person who dares to bring chaos into his life. Also, he talks to his animals who are given free reign in his home and office. Strengths: Brave, compassionate, reliable, solid, dependable, almost stupidly reckless, gets along well with animals and for some reason children seem to love him. Oliver is definitely a physical person and his strengths lie in every field that involves movement. He is strong, fast and has very good reflexes stemming from years of evading Bludgers (and then hexes during the war). He is extremely organized and a good strategist who manages to make plans and back-up plans in almost every situation. His magical strengths are definitely flying and he is rather good with Charms as the swishing and flicking always came naturally to him. Weaknesses: Overprotective of people he cares about, sometimes a bit narrow-minded, stubborn, tunnel-vision once he has made up his mind to do something, self-worth issues due to the fact that he hasn't managed to find his sister, shy when talking to people he thinks are more intelligent then he is, can be a rigid and ignorant in his views, tends to get stressed when he has the feeling of losing control, almost fanatical about Quidditch, very introverted about his private thoughts but extroverted (perhaps too much) about Quidditch. The thing is that Oliver's strengths are also his weaknesses in a way. His recklessness has the tendency to manifest itself at the most inopportune moments in which Oliver is bound to display a spontaneity that regularly gets him into trouble. He forgets about everything as soon as a person he cares about is concerned or when it comes to his personal crusade of finding his sister. In these moments Oliver's carefully laid plans and strategies instantly become unimportant and he rushes into things heedlessly. Fears: Oliver suffers from claustrophobia. He has a grip on it but nevertheless it gives him a whole lot of trouble. Additionally, Oliver has this recurring nightmare of finding his sister as an Inferius, which is a thought that tends to send him into a blind panic. Next to that Oliver fears the loss of control in any given situation which manifests itself in his tendency to make plans for everything. And back-up plans. And back-ups of the back-up plans. So you might say he's a bit of a control freak. Philias: Movement, animals, flying, Quidditch, the sky, for some reason he loves storms and rain, cooking, being in control. Hobbies/Interests: Oliver loves cooking and, of course, flying and everything Quidditch-related. He also loves trying out Muggle sports – usually with hilarious consequences. He is very engaged when it comes to animal rescue but lacking time or money to donate, Oliver tends to take in strays, feed and heal them to the best of his ability and either letting them free again or, as it has been the case with at least a dozen cats and four dogs, give them to his parents and niece who are as enthusiastic about 'the wee poor things' as Oliver is. In fact, the Wood house in Scotland has almost been turned into a magical menagerie and there's a small grave-yard behind the house where deceased pets (beginning with Bruce, the terrier) get funerals. Both Brenda and Oliver take this very seriously. Whenever possible Oliver is outdoors where he loves hiking. And taking in the occasional stray. Broomstick engineering, meaning Oliver loves to take broomsticks apart and reassemble them with various 'improvements'. Most noticeably taking off security charms that fix the speed limit. Favourite Belongings: *His broomstick. A modified Nimbus 2000 – yes, an old model, but Oliver has tinkered so much with it that by now it defies definition. *The oven. Cooking relaxes Oliver and he has almost reached a point where he considers naming the oven. *Oliver still owns the quill he used to sign his first contract with Puddlemere. These days he keeps it locked into a drawer and will use it only for special occasions. *On a sad note, Oliver's most prized possession is a photo album showing his sister and her family. *Various little gifts he got from Brenda, most noticeably a cup reading 'The World's Best Uncle' and several framed pictures she drew. Favourite Places: *The Quidditch Pitch at Hogwarts: The place represents his youth to Oliver and this is where he lived to see his greatest tragedies and triumphs. He also got his first kiss there (right behind the stands). *His kitchen: The place he retreats to. It serves as a kitchen as well as a living room and that's where the animals tend to hang out, too (always in hopes of getting some food from the fridge). *Scotland: It's his home and Oliver loves every little bit of it. Yes, even the dreary weather on occasion. *Circe's: Surprisingly the nightclub turned into a bit of a second home to him as it gave him stability in a time where he desperately needed it. Oliver still visits the club regularly to chat with old friends, acquaintances and contacts. It's 'his turf' so to speak. Secrets: *The last time Oliver saw Moira and Matthew, they had an argument over him being too ignorant and not caring about anything but Quidditch. At that time Moira had been perfectly right and Oliver has come to regret this episode bitterly. *He was really, really in love with Angelina Johnson in school but never worked up the nerve to ask her out. Observing her with Fred broke his heart to a point where he contemplated writing miserable little poems about it. However, he settled for compiling new Quidditch strategies which seemed to work better. *He's a fluffy bunny at heart. Although Oliver goes to great lengths to appear tough and seal off his heart, one sad look suffices to make him melt. He is compassionate to a point where it becomes ridiculous. *He checked his closet for monsters until the age of thirteen. These days Oliver is far from amused that the monsters have apparently decided to turn out to be real. Timeline *1970: Andrew Wood and Fiona McCaine meet, fall in love and marry after a whirlwind romance. Later that year (October) Andrew's shoulder is shattered and they re-locate to the Scottish Highlands, in a small Wizarding community near Inverness. *1972: The crisis in the Wood-household reaches its boiling point but Andrew and Fiona overcome their differences. Moira Wood is born in November. *1976, December 18th: Oliver Wood is born. He spends his early childhood in the Highlands and his magic abilities manifest at the age of ten, whereas it becomes apparent in 1982 that Moira is a squib. *September 1988: Oliver starts Hogwarts. He is immediately fascinated with Quidditch and hero-worships Charlie Weasley. *1989: Oliver joins the Gryffindor Quidditch team. Slytherin wins the House Cup. *1991: Oliver becomes Quidditch Captain in his fourth year and wins new talents for his team such as Second-Years years Angelina Johnson and Alicia Spinnet (reserve) and Fred and George Weasley. *1992: Moira meets and marries Matthew Jones in a whirlwind romance reminiscent of the one her parents had years ago. The couple moves to Nottingham. *1994: The Gryffindor team wins the Quidditch Cup and Oliver graduates. Later that year (early August) he signs up with Puddlemere United as Reserve Keeper. *1995-1997: Oliver becomes regular Keeper for Puddlemere United and after some rather sobering experiences he learns to live up to the pressure that comes with the job. Oliver remains ignorant of the growing tension in the Wizarding World. Brenda Jones is born in 1997. *June, 1997: Dumbledore is murdered and Oliver is shocked out of his little Quidditch-filled world. He decides that something needs to be done against the Death Eaters. He does, however, remain mostly passive and travels to Paris with Puddlemere United for a friendly game against the Parisienne Pathers. He is accompanied by his sister Moira and her husband Matthew who hope for a second honeymoon. *July 19th 1997: The Night of 1000 Daggers and Oliver and his family are stuck in the middle of it all. Oliver witnesses Matthew being murdered and gets separated from his sister. *Following the Night of 1000 Daggers, Oliver leaves Puddlemere United and refuses to return home until he has found Moira. He spends the following months travelling France and getting caught up in minor skirmishes which bring him in contact with the Order of the Phoenix. However, bent on his mission Oliver refuses to join them. *October 8th 1997: The war against Voldemort is officially declared. Oliver returns to Scotland and joins the Order of the Phoenix after realizing that his search for Moira in France has been in vain. *1997 - 1999: Oliver takes part in the Battle Black Mountain (October 30th '97), the Conflict of Withernsea (November 16th '97), the first battle of Diagon Alley (April 29th '98), the battle of Crychan Forest (January 6th '99) and the Last battle (June 23rd '99) as a member of the Order. He neglects the search for his sister during that time as he is busy surviving. *August – September 1999: Parallel to the war trials Oliver takes up his quest for his missing sister again and starts travelling Europe until 2004. *2004: Oliver realizes that he has spent all his savings on his quest and, disheartened, returns to Britain having spent his time chasing nothing but rumours and coming up with no results. He re-locates to London where he takes a job as a bouncer at the night-club Circe's where Oliver establishes first contacts with the Network. He keeps this job until 2006. *November 2006: Oliver's personal low point in his life. He is spiralling into depression and meets Jeff Barrington who takes him in and gives him a job, doing the grunt work for his private investigations firm. *Summer 2007: Over the past months Oliver has learned the basics of the new job and Jeff and Oliver discuss possibilities for Oliver to buy half of the firm. Two months later Jeff goes missing while investigating a case, leaving nothing but a will behind. Oliver inherits Barrington Investigations as well as a new quest: in addition to finding his sister, Oliver is now determined to find Jeff as well. He suspects creature-involvement in both disappearances. *Summer 2007 – Present: Oliver runs Barrington Investigations and repeatedly clashes with both the Regulators (when their cases overlap) as well as the Unspeakables who would prefer some of Oliver's discoveries to remain unknown. He maintains close ties to the Network. History Pre-Hogwarts Oliver was born near Inverness in the Scottish Highlands to Andrew and the Fiona Wood. His father, the final branch of the Pureblooded Wood-family, used to be a great Quidditch player for one successful season (where he met and married Muggle-born Fiona McCaine) until a stray Bludger shattered his shoulder beyond repair and abruptly ended his career as a Chaser. Driven into depression by the ending of what he deemed his life, Andrew retreated into the Highlands with his family in order to keep away from all things Quidditch-related and live a peaceful life. Her husband's bitterness with his fate almost drove Fiona away and for a time the newly-weds went through a rather rocky phase. This, however, was overcome with the birth of Moira, who was followed four years later by Oliver. Hogwarts experience The first year of Hogwarts combined the greatest of bliss (Oliver learned more about Quidditch and – even though he wasn't allowed to participate – attended every training session as an annoying mascot of sorts) as well as the greatest torment (he wasn't allowed to have his own broom or participate in Quidditch). It was also the start of Oliver's great rivalry with Marcus Flint whom he detested at first sight. Oliver learned that he very good at remembering movements (which came in handy with all the swishing and flicking in Charms) and very clumsy at more theoretical subjects, such as Potions, which led to severe suffering and many detentions. Finally, in his second year, Oliver's dream came true and he joined the Gryffindor Quidditch team as a Keeper. This led to a rapid drop of his grades and after a long, stern – and quite frankly terrifying – talk with Professor McGonagall Oliver included a new routine into his life: regular mid-night learning sessions so he wouldn't be suspended from the team. Quite coincidentally, that turned Oliver into a reasonably good student but the insecurity from his first year remained: Oliver thought of himself as stupid anywhere but on the Quidditch pitch. This insecurity haunts him to the present day. Oliver became Quidditch captain in his fourth year and spent most of his free time on the pitch which led to the curious fact that he never even noticed girls until one day one of them asked him to accompany her to Hogsmeade on Valentine's day. It's needless to say that he annoyed her to no end and the whole date ended in a fiasco but the damage was done – Oliver was now aware that girls attended Hogwarts and that made him nervous. So he did the thing he deemed the safest – he focused on Quidditch and tried to ignore the problem. However, this became increasingly difficult during his fifth and sixth year which led to a few superficial flings that were usually broken up by the girls because they couldn't stand his prattling about Quidditch any longer (which he used to mask his insecurity). In the holidays before his last year the Woods were visited by an old friend of the family who coincidentally turned out to be a professional Quidditch trainer who immediately recognized Oliver's talent. However, instead of encouraging the young man, the trainer pushed Oliver through an afternoon of intense professional training to see how Oliver would hold up. Our favourite manic Quidditch captain barely held his own but the sheer stubbornness impressed the trainer and – still not hinting at his true intentions – he told Oliver about dozens of things he needed to improve if he ever wanted to survive at Quidditch. Oliver, quite naturally, took this as a challenge and spent his seventh year either studying for his N.E.W.T.s (in the nights) or following a rigorous training schedule set up by the Quidditch trainer. After his great triumph of finally getting the Quidditch cup and surviving the N.E.W.T.s the Woods were once again visited by the Quidditch trainer who told Oliver that he had a tryout with Puddlemere United. The rest is history as they say. After Hogwarts Oliver played as a reserve Keeper for Puddlemere United for about one year before becoming their regular Keeper in 1995. Due to the fact that Oliver sacrificed his personal life for his career, he rose pretty quickly in fame and popularity and for about two years he lived the dream he'd had ever since he was a young boy. With his tendency to ignore problems until they cannot be ignored any longer, Oliver successfully failed to notice the growing threat of Voldemort and focused instead on his career. During that time he had some meaningless flings that never grew into anything because no woman ever came close to meaning as much to him as Quidditch. He was, for a time, extremely happy to play Quidditch every day and do his best to teach Brenda all kinds of nonsense. 1997 – Present The death of Dumbledore in June 1997 shocked Oliver out of his little Quidditch-filled world and finally forced him to realize that not everything was well and that he couldn't just ignore problems in hopes of making them disappear that way. Still unsure of how to react, Oliver nevertheless made sure that his parents, both too old to get too involved in the war and longing for some semblance of security, were protected by any wards known to him. He tried to provide the same kind of safety for his sister and her family but they refused, leaving Oliver not a little frustrated. However, his attention was still divided between knowing that 'something needs to be done' and the fact that he spent most of his time practicing Quidditch. As it was, the only thing Oliver did was invite Moira and Matthew along to a short trip to Paris where he planned to attend an informal Quidditch match between his team, Puddlemere United, and the Parisienne Panthers. Moira and Matthew, over-worked and under-paid and far to glad to get a bit of fun into their lives promptly agreed and after leaving their little daughter Brenda with her grandparents set off alongside Oliver. On July 19th 1997 Oliver and his family were having dinner in a sweet little restaurant near the French Ministry of Magic when suddenly all hell broke loose and they found themselves in the middle of a war zone as the Death Eaters attacked the Ministry. What followed was a mass panic in which Matthew and Oliver got separated from Moira who got dragged away by the panicking crowd. During that night Matthew, a single Muggle among a mass of terrified wizards, almost got killed and Oliver barely got him into safety. The following days passed like a dream for Oliver. He had delivered Matthew to an over-crowded hospital and left to go and look for Moira who remained lost despite Oliver's most stubborn efforts. Finally, weakened from fatigue and his own untreated and infected wounds, a feverish Oliver broke down and due to some pure dumb luck a compassionate soul found him and brought him to a hospital where Oliver spent the next week slipping in and out of consciousness. By the time Oliver was lucid again, he learned that Matthew had died from the wounds he had sustained and that still there was no word of his sister. In a fit of his characteristic stubbornness Oliver refused to give in and refused to return to Britain with the rest of the team. He resolutely resigned his place and set off to find Moira while the rest of Puddlemere returned to Britain – minus their Keeper. Oliver spent the following months travelling first through Paris and then through the rest of France in his quest where he learned more about the seedy underworld and the lively trade with information than he ever thought possible. During that time Oliver got involved in some minor fights against the Death Eaters which brought him in contact with the Order of the Phoenix. He fought along the Order on occasion but ultimately refused their offer to join them until he had found his sister. Oliver continued this aimless search, falling for many ruses and traps along the way but also learning some valuable lessons, until in October 1997 the Second War was officially declared. This served as a sign for Oliver who finally admitted that he had wasted his time and hadn't come any closer to finding Moira (who, as everyone was quick to tell him, must surely be dead by now) than a few months ago. Consequentially Oliver packed up his meagre belongings and returned to Scotland in defeat where he joined the Order of the Phoenix only a few days upon his return. As a very active member of the Order, Oliver took part in almost every big battle, earning himself some scars along the way but mostly surviving unscathed in a display of near impossible luck while losing far too many friends. During that time Oliver's quest for Moira was abandoned for the most part, though not entirely forgotten. However, he was busy surviving and despite the bitter regrets that plagued him day and night, Oliver had no choice but to continue fighting the Death Eaters. When the war finally ended in 1999, Oliver suddenly found himself free of obligations and, having obtained some new information, set off to travel Europe and find his sister despite the fact that by this time even his parents who had hoped for Moira's survival to the last possible second, declared him obsessed and begged him to let go. However, Oliver seemed incapable of doing so and while the war trials were held in London and the world started to whisper about the appearance of strange creatures, Oliver turned a blind ear to everything that did not involve Moira. The time between 1999 and 2004 brought Oliver to the most distant parts of Europe where he made some contacts, ran (sometimes quite literally) into creatures that shouldn't exist and lost pretty much all of his idealism. Finally, in 2004 Oliver was forced to admit that he had spent all his money from his Pro-Quidditch days (and he had earned some serious money during that time!) on his insane quest which forced him to abandon it for the time being. Close to a depression, Oliver once again returned to London in defeat where he needed to find 'a real job' for the first time in his life. And that was when Oliver realized that he really didn't have any skills except on the Pitch and the splatter of different languages and cultures he picked up during his travels. Fortunately Madame Lafalda, the owner of Circe's, a night-club in the wrong part of town, decided that superior skills or a certain amount of N.E.W.T.s weren't required and hired Oliver as a bouncer as few people thought it prudent to engage the burly Scot in a fight. Curiously enough, Oliver turned out to get along better than he thought. His experiences in Paris had taught him to perceive the shades of grey and suddenly the illustrious people that frequented the club turned out to be very interesting. For some time, things looked up and Oliver started establishing first loose contacts with member of the Network – most importantly the Information Brokers. He would work with certain members of the Network on occasion but mostly made sure that there was no trouble at Circe's where he found something of a new home and a surrogate mother in Madame Lafalda. Nevertheless, this quiet time didn't last and before long Oliver's nightmares of finding Moira only to discover that she had been turned into an Inferius started up again and the Scot slipped back into depression. It was in 2006 during one of his stronger phases of depression that a new customer offered Oliver a way out. This customer turned out to be Mr. Jeff Barrington, an elderly private investigator whose body was slowly but surely beginning to feel the repercussions of his rheumatic arthritis who happened to be looking for someone to do the grunt work for him. After a short conversation with Madame Lafalda (who agreed that Oliver couldn't spend his life as a bouncer) it was agreed that he would take the new job and Oliver started his rather unorthodox education as a private investigator. By the summer of 2007 Jeff and Oliver had realized that they worked so well together that they had come to discuss an agreement to expand the office and re-name the thing to Barrington/Wood Investigations. However, that never came to pass as one day Jeff left for a routine investigation and never came back. A month of fruitless searching later Oliver was contacted by Jeff's lawyer who informed the Scot that Mr.Barrington was officially declared dead and that according to his will Oliver had inherited his meagre fortune and Barrington Investigations. Currently Oliver has reluctantly come to terms with the fact that Jeff is unlikely to return and has included his friend and mentor into the list of regrets. As it is the case with Moira, Oliver has never given up on looking for him and in January 2008 he learned the most curious thing while going through Jeff's old cases: the other man had been investigating an incident involving some creature Oliver had never heard of before: a curious mix between a goblin and a troll that made absolutely no sense. He is now investigating this case while trying to make a living with Barrington Investigations and perpetually denying his parents' pleas to come back home. Meta Journal: olivered PB: Ryan Reynolds Player: Odyssey Category: Characters